Sigma 16 mm f/1.4 (C) AF DC DN Lens for Canon EF-M X Mount, Mirrorless

Product Information

In addition, the SIGMA Art line includes three lenses for mirrorless cameras that cover a range of photographic needs: 19mm F2.8 DN | Art, 30mm F2.8 DN | Art, and 60mm F2.8 DN | Art. These lenses require no digital processing to correct for optical aberrations, instead using the optical system to minimize them. Physically, there is no significant difference between this Fujifilm X version and other versions of the lens that we have seen, aside of course from the mount. It has the same simple, elegant design that Sigma adopted almost a decade ago. There is minimal text and branding on the barrel, with just a simple small chrome badge with the letter ‘C’ denoting that this is part of the Sigma Contemporary lens line. There are no buttons either, just a very large focusing ring with a ribbed texture. Unlike most of Fujifilm’s lenses, there’s no aperture ring, so to change this setting you have to use a dial on the camera body. Autofocus With the Sigma 16mm, 30mm and 56mm F1.4 DC DN C lens wide open at f/1.4, you can see some obvious light fall-off in the corners. Stopping down helps, although to completely get rid of this phenomenon, you will need to use an f-stop of f/4 or smaller. Light Fall-off - Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C

Sigma 16mm f/1.4 EF-M Lens Review - Todd Dominey Sigma 16mm f/1.4 EF-M Lens Review - Todd Dominey

Weighing in at a modest 380g, without hood or caps, the lens is by no means a burden. It is supplied with a solid petal lens hood that bayonets cleanly into place. This surrounds a filter thread of 67mm.The only other adornment is the wide, electronically operating, manual focusing ring. This is very smooth and probably best switched off in camera if MF is not being used. Otherwise, the natural grip on the lens barrel also grips the ring, which could be accidentally moved. As the MF function works with the AF system this could be an issue for some. However, as the AF is so fast and silent, thanks to the excellent stepping motor used, there is little motivation for manual focus in general use. One exception could be macro photography, where small manual adjustments to the point of focus can be useful. As this use would probably involve mounting the camera on a tripod, there would be no issue with accidental shifting of the focus point. With the lens set to its maximum aperture of f/1.4, there is some light fall-off in the corners. Stopping-down to f/4 virtually eliminates this. As we’ve seen with an increasing number of Sigma’s Global Vision lenses for Canon DSLRs, this new M-mount lens is preloaded with data for enabling in-camera corrections for aberrations like peripheral illumination, chromatic aberration and diffraction, where featured in the host camera. Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN | C: Performance Attached to my OM-1, it was nicely balanced. It’s similar in width to my Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8, but slightly longer. This lens isn’t only compatible with Micro Four Thirds; other versions fit the Sony E, Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, and Leica L mounts. It comprises nine rounded diaphragm blades, so I anticipated the bokeh would be pleasing. Naturally, there’s not a whole of point in having a fast f/1.4 lens if image quality doesn’t hold up when shooting wide-open. As it turns out, sharpness and contrast are maintained very well at the widest aperture. Another bonus is that the wide aperture and short 25cm minimum focus distance enable a fairly tight depth of field and good bokeh, enabling interesting perspective effects.Before I break down the details of the lens performance, I do want to raise one more point. The Sony a6500 I’m testing the lens on has an excellent sensor. Good color, great dynamic range, and a nicely detailed 24 MP sensor. In some situations I strongly prefer full frame image quality to APS-C, even from a good sensor like this one. One of those areas is when the ISO level goes up, as I find the “look” of the pixels to be more obvious on APS-C. A lens like this 16mm f/1.4 certainly helps that problem, though, as due to the wide maximum aperture, easy to handhold focal length, and, in the case of the a6500, an excellent IBIS system (In Body Image Stabiization), there are very few situations where a high ISO level will be necessary. The lens’ strong performance at wide apertures only seals that deal! Resolution Sell the kit you’re not using to MPB. Trade in for the kit you need to create. Buy used, spend less and get more. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create. As I expected, the out-of-focus area had a nice creamy feel. Please take note, you Micro Four Thirds naysayers, this is smooth, creamy bokeh and a shallow depth of field achieved with a wide-angle lens! Did the Images Stand Up to Inspection? With 16 elements in 13 groups, the optical system features a multitude of high-tech and high-end components, including three FLD glass elements, two SLD glass elements, and two molded glass aspherical elements. This optical system minimizes optical aberrations and ensures outstanding resolution at wide-open aperture and throughout the aperture range. In particular, the two aspherical lens elements have ultra-high-precision surfaces polished to tolerances under 10 nanometers, minimizing the onion ring bokeh effect that some aspherical elements produce and ensuring clear image quality throughout the frame. In addition, the structure of the optical system gently bends light to minimize sagittal coma flare and deliver optimal optical performance from the center of the frame to the edges. The result is a smooth, round bokeh effect with ample light volume throughout the frame. The lens looks very nice and has a sleek, smooth design and finish. It pairs quite well with a Sony camera and doesn't look dissimilar from some of Sony's own lenses. The large focus ring has a rubberized finish and feels very nice to use, plus it's wide at just under a couple inches (around 50 millimeters). The lens looks good and balances well with the A6500.

Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Review | ePHOTOzine Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Review | ePHOTOzine

It's a bit of a different lens when paired with a Micro Four Thirds camera. The sensor is smaller than APS-C, so its angle of view is more like a 32mm—a more moderate swath of coverage. Here the lens has some peers, including the svelte Olympus 17mm f/1.8 and Panasonic 15mm f/1.7, both of which are a little more expensive and gather a bit less light when shot wide open, but are very light and compact. And there's the premium Olympus 17mm f/1.2, which captures more light than the Sigma and features a manual focus clutch, but is a lot more expensive.

MPB puts photo and video kit into more hands, more sustainably. Every month, visual storytellers sell more than 20,000 cameras and lenses to MPB. Choose used and get affordable access to kit that doesn’t cost the earth. The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 lens is one of three new EF-M prime lenses now being offered by Sigma (including a 30mm lens I reviewed here). For Canon users looking for EF-M lens options, the Sigma lenses couldn’t come at a better time, because Canon—for whatever reason—has never expanded their EF-M lens lineup with anywhere near the breadth of their full-frame EF lens options.